Brief, thought provoking articles on a variety of topics.
Posted August 21st, 2010 in Prophecy, Selah
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man (Matt 24:37). The time leading up to the Great Flood was a lot like our time today in that it was characterized by a deliberate and escalating disregard for the ways of God. Finally “the Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Gen. 6:5).
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Posted August 10th, 2010 in Bread From Heaven, Tough Questions Answered
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
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Posted July 17th, 2010 in Selah, Spiritual Life
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
There’s no doubt we’re living in some of the most difficult times of our generation. If experts are correct it’s been 2 ½ years since this recession officially began, and many workers have already exhausted their jobless benefits. But others are just now being laid off and according to projections another million families will lose their homes in the coming months, so it’s not over yet. It’s a sobering thought, but the Bible offers some sure fire advice on living in hard times. Let’s take a look.
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Posted July 10th, 2010 in Forgiveness, Selah
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
For some time now, I’ve been puzzled about the time between the resurrection and the ascension. What was the Lord doing during that time? It was certainly different than His Ministry before the resurrection. He had already accomplished everything He came to do. It seems like He would have been more anxious to return home.
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Posted May 22nd, 2010 in Holidays and Holy Days
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
Pentecost comes in the early summer (May-June). It’s the only Levitical Feast Day between the 3 Spring Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits) and the 3 in the fall (Rosh Hashanna, Yom Kippur, and Tabernacles). The Hebrew name for this Day is Shavuot, which means weeks, so in Israel it’s called the Feast of Weeks.
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Posted April 10th, 2010 in Prophecy
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
In addition to the comments I’ve received concerning my answer to the question about Reformed Theology, I’ve also been asked to interpret Rev. 3:9.
I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
Who are those who claim to be Jews but are not? Since Revelation 2-3 applies to the entire Church age, the Lord may have been referring to more than one group. Here are several candidates.
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Posted April 3rd, 2010 in Selah, Spiritual Gifts
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
Last time we discovered that Pentecost was not the day the Disciples received the Holy Spirit, but instead it was a time when He came upon them with an unmistakable display of power (Acts 2:1-4). Remember, they had already performed miracles in the Lord’s name. When He sent the 12 out to preach to Israel, He gave them authority to heal the sick and drive out demons (Luke 9:1-6). After that He sent out 72 others to every town in Israel, Jewish and Gentile, and they were able to heal the sick and drive out demons too (Luke 10:9,17). But never before had anything like the events of Pentecost happened.
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Posted March 27th, 2010 in Spiritual Life
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
I’ve gotten a raft of comments on my comparison of John 20:22 with Acts 2:1-4 in my answer to a recent question. Some were more diplomatic than others in suggesting my understanding of these verses leaves something to be desired. So let’s take another look and see how these two passages are alike and how they’re different. We’ll take John 20:22 first, in the context of the passage.
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Posted March 6th, 2010 in Selah, Thy Kingdom Come
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
“Yes, he does,” he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?”
“From others,” Peter answered.
“Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” (Matt. 17:24-27)
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Posted February 20th, 2010 in Tough Questions Answered
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
The first three Gospels are so much alike that people accuse Matthew and Luke of borrowing heavily from Mark, who supposedly wrote His gospel first. But no so with John. His gospel is different from all of the others.
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